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Scientology’s drug rehab facility in Nevada sued over the usual litany of deceptions

Ryan Hamilton

Last year, as Scientology’s drug rehab network, Narconon, was sinking deeper and deeper into trouble, we noticed that an attorney in Las Vegas, Ryan Hamilton, had begun advertising online for Narconon victims. It was another sign of just how bad things were getting for Scientology’s rehab facilities, which were being sued and investigated in several states.

Well, Hamilton’s ad apparently paid off, because this week he filed a federal lawsuit against Scientology’s Narconon facility in Nevada, and the lawsuit’s complaint is one of the best written and most thorough that we’ve ever read.

David, Stacy, and Jack Welch of Texas are suing Narconon Fresh Start, doing business as the Rainbow Canyon Retreat in Caliente, Nevada, for breach of contract, fraud, and negligence.

According to the complaint, in August Stacy Welch and her husband David began searching on the Internet for a rehab facility for their son Jack, who was 19. Like so many others before her, Stacy found a site that purported to be an independent dispenser of advice about such facilities. She was strongly persuaded by a consultant from the website to send Jack to a Nevada center called “Fresh Start.”

“The consultant never referred to the facility as Narconon, but only as ‘Fresh Start,'” the complaint says.

Stacey and David were then told that they had to hurry, or their son “would wind up dead.”

That certainly sounds familiar. Last year, we reported that some scripts used by Narconon referrers had been leaked to the Internet, and one of the things that consultants are told to do is get a family worked up into a frenzy, telling them that if they don’t hurry, it could have dire consequences.

The consultant then set up an interview with Narconon Fresh Start’s intake director, Josh Penn, who told the Welches that Narconon has a 76 percent success rate.

That’s another thing that comes right out of the scripts, but as we’ve pointed out before, even Narconon’s own legal affairs officer has admitted that there’s no science for the ludicrous success rates the program claims. (Reputable drug rehab programs claim success rates of about 25 percent.)

The Welches told Penn that they had spotted a reference to L. Ron Hubbard on the the Fresh Start website, but when they asked whether Scientology was involved, Penn assured them that it wasn’t.

The Welches were told they’d have to pay $33,000 up front, and that before Jack could enter the program in Nevada, he’d first have to go through a medical detox in Murrieta, California.

The Welches signed a contract, and the complaint points out that the contract describes Narconon’s origin — it was started in 1966 by a man named William Benitez, who had been inspired by Hubbard’s book, The Fundamentals of Thought.

The complaint points out that the actual name of the book is Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought, The Basic Book of the Theory and Practice of Scientology for Beginners. The Welches believe that the full name is left out of the Narconon contract in order to hide the program’s connection to Scientology.

The contract also refers to the Narconon program as a secular one. But as we’ve pointed out many times, the Narconon program is virtually identical to the introductory levels of Scientology itself, as the Welches learned…

“Despite Narconon’s representation that it is a secular program, the Narconon Program has patients unwittingly practicing and studying Scientology in place of counseling for substance abuse.”

The first indication that the Welches had made a mistake was when they learned they’d have to pay an additional $3,250 for Jack’s medical detox.

They also figured out that the supposedly independent referrer was in fact “affiliated with Narconon,” and received a bounty for sending patients there. (In fact, Luke Catton has told us that this is definitely the case. Catton, who was president of Narconon’s flagship operation in Oklahoma, operated numerous referral websites, and received a 10 percent commission for each person convinced to sign up for Narconon.)

After the detox facility (which they suspect was part of the Narconon network, even though they had been told it was “independent”), Jack was flown to Las Vegas, where he was picked up for the long drive to Caliente, Nevada “by a convicted felon who was the boyfriend of one of the Narconon staff members.”

When he got there, he was told he had to sign “a statement attesting that he is not a journalist and that he would not sue Narconon for anything that happens in the facility.”

Jack was housed in an area known as the “Treehouse,” where he began to go through Scientology training. He was later moved to the main housing area. But during his time there, he was not allowed to talk to his parents very often.

“In the initial calls to his family, Jack was always on a speakerphone with a staff member present. Jack and other students were afraid to criticize Narconon over the phone for fear of repurcussions from staff members,” the complaint says.

It also alleges that staff members were using drugs. As others have pointed out, staff workers at Narconon are former patients, and there are no medical personnel on hand.

Another confirmation of what Lucas Catton and others have told us: at Narconon drug rehab centers, there is no drug counseling going on. “Despite Narconon’s representations that Jack would receive counseling, at no point did Narconon staff ever speak to Jack about the specifics of his life or his drug use and its causes. In fact, no one at Narconon ever spoke to Jack about substance abuse at all,” the complaint says.

Instead, Jack received more Scientology training. Including the notorious exercise TR 8, which includes shouting instructions at an ashtray.

“Jack, like other students in the Narconon facility there at the time, was made to perform TR 8, and many other TRs that have no apparent connection to the treatment of substance abuse, for several hours each day,” the complaint says. “Jack felt very uneasy to be in a room filled with students screaming commands at ashtrays at the top of their lungs.”

The complaint then goes into a detailed description of the Scientology concepts and procedures that students are expected to absorb. They are also expected to sit in a sauna for several hours a day as part of Scientology’s “Purification Rundown,” which includes doses of Niacin up to 5,000 mg a day. Jack spent 24 to 26 days in the sauna.

“Jack experienced severe dehydration, headaches, and persistent diarrhea during the sauna program. The Niacin made his skin feel as if he had a bad, lasting sunburn. He observed many of his fellow students likewise becoming ill during the sauna program. Each time Jack complained to the staff supervisor on duty about his severe headaches and feeling ill, he was told to get back in the ‘Box’ and, ‘What turns it on, turns it off’.”

The complaint alleges that Jack continues to have health problems related to his time in the Purification Rundown.

To be eligible for federal district court, the Welches allege that they have suffered more than $75,000 in losses. But no dollar amount of damages sought is listed.

In November 2012, Las Vegas reporter Nathan Baca did a two-part investigative series about the facility at Caliente. He later reported that Nevada’s oversight is so weak, the facility is essentially unregulated. After his story, a bill was proposed to regulate the rehab center, but the bill failed to become law.

Because of our breaking news about the lawsuit this morning, we’re going to keep Sunday Funnies short with just one excellent item forwarded to us by one of our great tipsters. It’s a Celebrity magazine cover featuring a certain Canadian film director you may recognize.

——————–

Posted by Tony Ortega on February 2, 2014 at 07:00

E-mail your tips and story ideas to tonyo94@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter. We post behind-the-scenes updates at our Facebook author page. Here at the Bunker we try to have a post up every morning at 7 AM Eastern (Noon GMT), and on some days we post an afternoon story at around 2 PM. After every new story we send out an alert to our e-mail list and our FB page.

No wonder insurance companies have to be scammed into paying for Narconon…

Still_On_Your_Side

Good point, I wonder if the Welchs’ son was covered by health insurance and, if so, why the “rehab” was not submitted for coverage? It would be interesting to find out whether the fallout from the Georgia insurance scams has lost Narconon its contracts with health insurers. It also will be interesting to find out whether Fresh Start is going to demand that its liability insurer pay for its defense in this lawsuit. Narconon’s insurers in Georgia are both in court on this issue, one has refused to cover the Burgess class action lawsuit, and the other is trying to recoup its costs from the Desmond lawsuit.

Another interesting point about this Fresh Start lawsuit is the argument concerning duress. It’s mind boggling that any healthcare facility, Narconon or otherwise, would force a patient to swear, in the middle of treatment, that he was not a journalist and that he would not sue. I wonder if Fresh Start will counter sue the Welch’s for breach of contract or use the contract as a ground of defense? Debbie Cook’s video testimony was given to demonstrate the duress she was under when she signed her confidentiality agreement. That testimony was so embarrassing, Miscavige ordered the plug to be pulled on the lawsuit, and, apparently, Cook also walked off with nice chunk of settlement money.

DamOTclese2

When insurance carriers are informed that it is Scientology’s “NarCONon” fraud they do not pay up. In fact often they contact the “provider” and inform them that their “services” are not covered if someone who is insured tries to commit the insurance fraud.

DodoTheLaser

Love this pic of Paul Haggis! Hi, Paul!

Because of the lawsuit, Superbowl and everyone here and other fringes – this is going to be an EPIC Sunday!

My little contribution to Sunday Funnies: Good morning from Katie and her awesome twitter followers!

EnthralledObserver

I love how Katie’s twitter pic is a ‘normal’ one. Not one of her primped to the nines.

Shirley Eugeste

Do people know about “Suri’s Burn Book”? “A study in Suri and all the people who disappoint her.” There are of course legitimate ethical concerns about paparazzi and children, but this Tumblr saves the real snark for the parents; comments about kids are almost always nice, and when “Suri” just can’t be nice, ahe’s tongue-in-cheek. Very often brings at least a half smile to the downward-trending face of this jaded old Dominique-dépresseur, in a mostly innocuous “laughing with you not at you” way.

I mention this here because the author of the Tumblr would have us believe that Suri generally feels Katie could stand a bit more primping…

Narconon sounds extremely dangerous: no wonder so many people have sued. It’s basically just Scientology training; they’re hoping that these addicts will become Scientologists.

On a lighter note, a few Scientology-related jokes:

How many Scientologists does it take to change a lightbulb?
What suppressive told you to change the lightbulb? Report to Ethics immediately!

Scientology believes that illness doesn’t really exist, that it’s all in the mind.
I was talking to a bloke at work who believes that kind of thing, and was telling him that my dad was ill.
“No, he’s not ill,” he said. “He’s only under the impression that he’s ill. Just tell him that.”
I bumped into him a week later. “How’s your dad?”
“He’s under the impression that he’s dead,” I replied.

This next one was a joke I read on here months ago, which I’ll repost:

I was in the doctor’s office the other day, when I saw a shelf lined with brains in jars. Each jar had a price tag with a religion written on it. The atheist brain was free; the Catholic brain cost $200; the Baptist brain cost $400. This continued up to the end of the shelf, where there was a Scientologist brain: this cost $30,000. I asked why the Scientologist brain was so expensive. He said “Because that brain’s been washed.”

http://www.tumblr.com/blog/scientoonery Natalia M

Ha!

Peter

The other punchline to that last joke is, “Because it’s been so little used.”

Exterrier

“In fact, it was never taken out of the box”.

RMycroft

Brains are cheap. Good shock absorbers cost money.

Pepsicat

How many Scientologists does it take to change a light bulb? Thirty. One to change the light bulb and 29 others to sign off the routing form.

http://www.4chan.org/ Vistaril

A piece of gold lies in the very centre of a four-way crossroad intersection. Coming from the East is an OT, coming from the West is a Clear, coming from the North is Xenu, and the Easter Bunny is coming from the South. Who will get to the piece of gold first?

A Catholic, an Atheist and the Scientologist get lost in the desert. The Atheist starts making a large SOS on the ground for search aircraft. The Catholic pulls out his rosary and begins praying. Then notices the Scientologist just sitting there sipping the last of their water. “What are you doing? Aren’t you worried about being found?” he says.

“I’m not worried,” the Scientologist replies. “It’s Thursday at noon. The registrar will find me!”

Dr_Orpheus

Unless the Scientologist has enough money to satisfy the registrar, he or she won’t be won’t be getting a lift home. COS isn’t about helping the down stat.

WildaBeast

Baaaahaaahahaha! /tears streaming down cheeks

3feetback-of-COS

I’d like to see scientologist jokes widely spread to the general public.

They are funny but also work as an anti-cult tool to get the message out.

Zaphod Beeblebrox

Thanks. Two more:

How many Scientologists does it take to change a lightbulb?
None: the bulb must pay $60,000 to reach the state of Clear, then it can change itself.

David Miscavige is so fucking Clear, he’s transparent!

Miss Tia

Ooooo I could tweet ‘em!

http://www.4chan.org/ Vistaril

Why is David Miscavige not circumcised?

( : ʞɔıɹd ǝɥʇ oʇ puǝ ou s,ǝɹǝɥʇ

WildaBeast

/gets brain bleach

Thanks for the thought, Vistaril! Yuck!

WildaBeast

Responding to the non-lulzy part of your post – there is very little on this earth that is more suggestible, more moldable, than an addict who has hit rock bottom and is looking for help to climb out of their personal pit. That’s why Scientology started Narconon, I believe – after the personality test gimmick stopped working, Narconon was a way to keep MAKING MONEY – MAKE MORE MONEY (etc.), while simultaneously pulling in a literally captive audience. If you get pissed off and try to walk out of a Narconon facility, I’m sure they give you the “You’ll be strung out, broke, and filthy in an alley inside a month if you walk out of here” speech (there is a speech that goes like that; I’ve heard it). And the poor ‘patient’ probably stays to get brainwashed. For most of them the indoctrination (and the sobriety) probably doesn’t last more than 6-24 months, but during those months, the {Church} MAKES MONEY, MAKES MORE MONEY…Fuck Narconon. Conning an addict desperate to find help is about as bad as ripping a little old lady off for the life insurance payout at her husband’s funeral.
/rant off

Zaphod Beeblebrox

You’re absolutely right. All these people care about is MONEY. It’s vile to think that they practically kill people, and they don’t care, as long as they’ve got their precious moolah.

villagedianne

How many Scientologists does it take to change a lightbulb?

One. A Scientologist with good TR’s can shout at the lightbulb and order it to change itself!

Zaphod Beeblebrox

And then replace the lightbulb and thank it.

dagobarbz

A guy recovering from a debilitating brain injury meets a pack of Scientologists at a swap meet. After being promised a full recovery, he is enticed into investing in an ostrich farm owned by one of the Scientologists. He buys two fertile ostrich eggs, with the expectation they will be raised by the Scientologist and sold, and the profit shared.

He goes to the ostrich farm and asks to see his eggs. The Scientologist shows him an incubator full of eggs and tells him, “Two of those eggs are yours.”

When the eggs hatch, he comes to the farm to see his ostrich chicks. The Scientologist shows him a pen full of fluffy ostrich chicks under heat lamps and tells him, “Two of those chicks are yours.”

When the birds are grown, he comes by the ostrich farm again. He sees a large pen full of big ostriches. “Which ones are mine?” he asks the Scientologist.

one more law suit, this church (cult) has more law suits than any other church in history, do they ever learn anything? is not working hello!!!! anybody there?

Missionary Kid

Sorry, but the Catholic Church recently has had many more lawsuits. I wish that your statement were true.

DamOTclese2

Mormon hate cult as well for pandemic chile rape.

Peter

A bit off the current subject, but a post on Mike Rinder’s yesterday blog laid out a 1953 Hubbard item regarding “the abberative personality” which had this telling portion:

“This parasiticism is gained either by the inheritance or other accumulation of money or by a direct and forthright nullification of those around them into the status of slaves. For this person knows above all other things that he cannot produce an honest day’s work. Now in case you err and try to apply this classification too widely, there is one definite characteristic you must not overlook. This characteristic makes the difference between the aberrative personality and run-of-the-mill human beings. The secrecy computation is the clue. The best index to a secrecy computation is a refusal to be audited. Because of this factor of the secrecy computation, and for no other factor, it chances to follow that the aberrative personality can be known by his refusal to have any auditing of any kind, or, if he has any auditing, accepts it very covertly and will not permit it to have any effect upon him. He will not have a second session. He has all manner of excuses for this such as “altitude,” but in any way, shape or form he escapes auditing.”

So, now we’re allowing El Ron Hobo to be our ethical and moral compass by which we judge what is ‘abberative?’

Please, I was hoping you’d find a more welcoming and suitable venue for your ‘explorations.’

Missionary Kid

El Ron Hobo is a new nickname for LRH. I’ll update the list in the next couple of days.

Shannon

Got to it before I was even able to call for you, damn you’re good.

WildaBeast

Mish has radar for this shit, or something. He’s on ‘em like a hawk, it’s awesome.

Missionary Kid

That was pure chance. I’m actually spending less time here at the Bunker than before. Thanks anyway, Shannon.

Peter

If you don’t wish to read anything other than what you already agree to, I suggest you’re just as mind collapsed as any current scio. And since you apparently totally missed the point of Hubbard’s quote and my reason for posting it was it’s exact description of Miscavige. “Reasoned debate”? What a weird response.

You’re right, sorry, I’ll fix it. The last name and the first name merged. Waldrip became Dip, whoops….

WildaBeast

Tee-hee!

I know we’re on his side and all (or probably, anyway), but…tee-hee!

WildaBeast

L Ron Hubbard actually sat there and lectured about people who were incapable of doing an honest day’s work…the chutzpah of the man was actually infinite, wasn’t it?

Sergeant Pepper

Question for Disqus gurus: any tips on how to reduce the clutter? I grow weary of wading through all the off topic discussions.

Jimmy Threetimes

Collapse the treads you don’t want to read. Click the -

Sergeant Pepper

Thanks, I’ll use that.

Jimmy Threetimes

Another trick you may try if you have favorite commenters: you can click their icon, click “follow” to follow them. Then, if you go to “My Disqus” —> “Now in your network” you can easily read the posts from the people you want to hear from.

But don’t follow me, I only post clutter.

Sergeant Pepper

Is there a way to block the most egregious offenders?

Jimmy Threetimes

Sorry, no. It seems like an obvious feature, but Disqus doesn’t have it.

Sergeant Pepper

A pity. Many insightful commenters here, I will try to persevere. Thanks.

Sunny Sands

Some people have the comments set to “best”.

EnthralledObserver

More good news… glad to hear the frying pan $cientology is standing in is getting HOTTER!
Hey, hey… Paul is lookin’ good!

The all important ‘the’ …. must admit, I thought his outfit really didn’t look early 70’s…. this is what I was looking at

Espiando

Thus proving once and for all that you aren’t American. Everyone under the age of 60 in the US knows who Tootie and Blair are.

http://frankdisalleisadummy.wordpress.com/ Get Chutney Love

Facts of Life started in 1979 as a spin-off from Diffe’rent Strokes, according to the Wiki, so I doubt the listing from 1972 is accurate.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Someone was looking high and low for this Celebrity mag last year. Not easy to find. I though Paul Haggis looked quite nerdish on that garrish cover. Maybe it was that bloody, shiny flash background. But he sure aged handsome!

BosonStark

“What turns it on, turns it off.” Hmm, the same could probably be said of Scientology.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

This is one of those scientology “scientific” on source Hubbardisms that make the practice of scientology dangerous. It is a core foundation and driven guideline that is responsible for a great deal of the harm done in the name of Hubbard.

SciWatcher

Sounds like the doctrine of “like cures like,” which originated with the “father” of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann (spelling?). Pseudoscience made even more pseudoscientific by the old fat guy.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Yes it does, and it was quite popular up to the 50’s, especially before antibiotics and a host of medicines we take for granted today. My grandparents had 13 children but only 4 of them survived, most due to the flu. Folk remedies were all many had and some either didn’t have easy access to a doctor or medical facility or could afford one if they were close.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Yes it does, and it was quite popular up to the 50’s, especially before antibiotics and a host of medicines we take for granted today. My grandparents had 13 children but only 4 of them survived, most due to the flu. Folk remedies were all many had and some either didn’t have easy access to a doctor or medical facility or could afford one if they were close.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Yes it does, and it was quite popular up to the 50’s, especially before antibiotics and a host of medicines we take for granted today. My grandparents had 13 children but only 4 of them survived, most due to the flu. Folk remedies were all many had and some either didn’t have easy access to a doctor or medical facility or could afford one if they were close.

RMycroft

Do they treat gun-shot wounds that way?

What a stupid bit of nattering nonsense!

Observer

Those aren’t gunshot wounds, silly–it’s the R2-45 auditing process!

WildaBeast

Very effective for exteriorization, don’t’cha know? /straightface

villagedianne

“What turns it on, turns it off.” Hmm, the same could probably be said of Scientology as it implodes on its own nutty
.Exactly. I wonder if Miscavige uses that philosophy as an excuse to escalate the abuses he inflicts.

Sunny Sands

Narconon time table:

1. Parents pay $33,000.
2. Parents pay additional $3,250 for medical detox
3. Son Jack goes to Murrieta, CA and completes medical detox
4. Son Jack flies to Las Vegas, NV, and is driven 150 miles (Mapquest) to Caliente, NV
5. At this time, Jack is asked to sign a waiver absolving “Fresh Start” of anything that happens there

The family is heavily invested financially and emotionally at the point Jack is asked to sign the waiver, so of course, he signs. How can a hospital require a patient to sign a waiver that the hospital is not liable?

ze moo

Lots of businesses try the ‘sign away all rights’ tricks. From mandated mediation to arbitration and all the in betweens, businesses try to keep the courts out of anything they can. Some can be useful, but they can be unfair very easily. This is why such agreements get great scrutiny in courts. The fraud, breech of contract and negligence claims are a no brainer, but will the courts enforce?

How many other NarCONon ‘clients’ are jumping on the bandwagon? They really are begging for a class action suit, but the actions will be aimed at each NarCONon location. So 50+ lawsuits are needed to end the rehab scam. As each NarCONon facility is really operated as a franchise, expect the franchise to change names and try to hide the Lron woo-woo even more. I always liked playing wack-a-mole.

Miss Tia

I was thinking how valid is a waiver signed by someone who’s there with a drug addiction? Most legal documents have the precursor ‘sound mind and body’. Entering a drug rehab you don’t really have either of those.

I thought the same. I know when you have surgery you sign that you’ve been informed of the risks. That still doesn’t absolve the surgeon of medical malpractice or negligence causing one of those known risks. Hmmm??

SopranoAscends

I was thinking the same thing. Although legally of age, his parents have acted on his behalf, as they would in any medical emergency. In this case, the young man consented to medical care under the guardianship of his parental units. Dunno the law here.

joan nieman

That is a good argument Tia. It is very similar to having children sign contracts. Null and void I say.

Miss Tia

Yeah, under 18 signing contracts, signing away rights, forced abortions, etc…..$cientologists are really good at having people sign things taking away their rights then proclaiming they’re legal docs…..look at the people who left and weren’t given copies of things they signed….i mean it’s ridiculous and yes, null and void! you’re right!

DamOTclese2

These waivers don’t work in the United States, one is now allowed to sign one’s rights away, otherwise corporations would force people to work for a dollar a day, murder would be legal, everything would be legal if these waivers actually were binding, they’re not.

TYhe only reason these things work is because victims who sign them believe that they work.

deathtoallpoliticians

greetings, sunny sands! let me answer your question directly: said liability waiver is non-enforceable in a court of law. no judge would ever enforce that provision as it is against public policy and is a contract of adherence with no negotiation, to boot. lastly, no one can ever be completely covered against their own gross negligent liability, no matter whatever waiver they may have someone sign. put another way, one cannot waive the gross negligence of another party through such a waiver. let me know if you have any questions. cheers!

deathtoallpoliticians

As an example, if you go skiing, said companies always have liability waivers everywhere. however, if through the ski company’s gross negligence, they fail to safely barricade/block off a cliff and someone goes over, said liability waivers are absolutely useless. let me know if there are any questions. cheers!

Once_Born

Here, medical treatment cannot be legally undertaken without informed consent from the patient. The principle of consent is an important part of medical ethics and international human rights law.

It requires that:

1) The patient voluntarily chooses to be treated, without pressure from medical staff, friends family or… anyone.
2) The patient must be given full information about what the treatment
involves, including the benefits and risks, whether there are reasonable
alternative treatments, and what will happen if it does not go
ahead.
3) The patient has the capacity to understand the relevant information and to make a choice on that basis.

I expect that UK law and practice are closely similar.

If this is the case, Narconon has never obtained legitimate informed consent – because their tactics always violate at least one of these points.

To top it off, their ‘treatment’ (Scientology TR’s) makes definite curative claims, lacks medical legitimacy and is undertaken by unqualified individuals.

How do they not get arrested?

DamOTclese2

It is non binding, these waivers only work when the victim believes it works. One can not sign one’s rights away, otherwise assisted suicide and pretty much everything would be legal. It’s part of the con game, part of the fraud.

http://www.4chan.org/ Vistaril

Oh, what great news to hear of another survivor of Scientology’s Narconon scam with the wherewithal to seek justice. Shame on the US authorities for not charging the facility staff, it medical and legal advisors, Narconon, Scientology, Captain David Miscavige and his entire staff with conspiracy to commit organised interstate fraud. Scientology has been at this unlicenced medical service scam since the 1950s. How many more innocents must die at the hands of deranged Scientologists ripping off the health system and its patients and their families? Scientology is insane and what’s also insane is that Scientology gets away with meddling in medicine in order to recruit people to pay for The Bridge To Xenu.

Anyhow, thank you, Ryan Hamilton. I hope you know what you have got yourself into and that you have read TonyO’s reports on the current legal matters Scientology is dealing with. Thank you David, Stacy, and Jack Welch, of Texas. My greetings and best wishes to you.

That “blast from the past” is great. I’m trying to guess what year that is? Nice tie-in with the Narconon story too – see on the cover of that celebrity and its featured article “Why Purification”? I can only imagine what sort drug-addled dribblings L Ron Hubbard offered to his fawning flock, but the real reason for the purif is that it physically weakens Scientologists down to something of a shuffling zombie who’s only too happy to sign anything. Basically, if you can get someone on the purif, future sales are, pretty much, guaranteed. One only has to recall Mr Mango’s purif experiences to get an idea of how some people are affected. People regularly get delirious. L Ron Hubbard knew that but he explained it away with ideas like the delirious person was really suffering a flash-back to a drug only ever used by Xenu’s praetorian guard of Marcabian brick polishers during the first invader space battle 321654131468421658421 years and 51 secs ago. And other, more complicated, bullshit like that.

Its one thing to pound a healthy person’s consciousness with the pernicious TRs and then subject them to the physical rigours of the purif; these days, really, its pretty much caveat emptor, IMHO. But for Scientology to hide and wait for desperate families seeking treatment for their drug addict loved ones and then to emotionally mug those families for all they own and everything they can borrow, whew! Then, to top it off, Scientology takes these particularly unfortunate addicts and pumps them full of – how much is it again – guk, and then steams them for a week. Provided they survive that, the addicts are then subject to the “book’n’bottle” etc., hypno-routines. Only, the environment in which the indoctrination is taking place is so dodgy that the staff are, often, still drug addicts themselves, and any “student” wanting drugs just has quietly put the word out. Meanwhile, in the Narconon facility’s management offices, the low-level grunts are all running the credit card boiler-room scam against the insurance industry. The senior executives are busy bribing police, doctors, politicians and education officials in order to impose the “Zone of Influence” and have enough dirt on the necessary people to prevent interference. Meanwhile, back in the dorm rooms, people are dying and Scientology is still out there advertising.

Crazy.

Bury_The_Nuts

“Xenu’s praetorian guard of Marcabian brick polishers”

LMFAO

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Enjoyed the visual on low level grunts, boiler room scam as well.

Pepsicat

Off topic but great for Sunday funnies: I was at a cocktail party of local never-ins and one of them asked, “Did you see that scientology ad – spiritual technology?” They all had seen it. I asked them what they thought of it. One for one was repulsed by the ad but the girl who asked the question said she closed her eyes because she felt that the ad contained subliminal messages. I howled in laughter. Yep, that’s how much scientology is trusted around here.

Pepsicat

PS: GO BRONCOS!

aegerprimo

That’s how FRIGHTENING Scientology is to some people. (Good thing you where there to set her straight.)

Pepsicat

Oh no, I didn’t try to set her straight…. I don’t owe Scio any favors.

DamOTclese2

Right now a football game just ran a Scientology fraud advertisement and Twitter is resuming covering it.

Johnny Tank (Forever Autumn)

Alexa update for Feb. 1: *refresh for images*

Tony: US rank #15,921 – up 142 from yesterday.
Scientology: US rank #42,468 – down 98 from yesterday.

Difference: 26,547 – 240 more than yesterday.

aquaclara

This suit is well-written and thorough. I am happy to see another attorney on board in the fight against Scientology’s scams and abuses, for all the obvious reasons. It takes a tremendous effort to understand exactly how insidious this cult is, and how pervasive the scam is. Narconon lies to families who are trying to find help. That they intentionally expose people to great harm is unforgivable.

I look forward to seeing this exposed in front of a judge in court soon. At the same time, my heart goes out to every victim of Narconon. Note the reference in the filing to the overflow of patients stashed in a rundown motel 15 miles further away. Horrifying.

Thanks, Tony. This is big.

Eclipse-girl

I read the 16 pages.

I feel for Jack. It appears as if he was harmed by the Purif. (points 64 – 70 and then 77) The kid may have PTSD from a rehab. WOW.

I thought the complaint was extremely well written

Yet another legal case to add to the calendar.

aquaclara

It does-and he is young. I hope that he gets better soon. The notes on the Puri here also said he was restrained from drinking water over a certain amount as part of the “treatment.” This just make me crazy.

Eclipse-girl

As did reading the comments on yesterday’s blog post by Mike Rinder.
Several commenters think the Purif is great and can help anyone and everyone.

GRR

WildaBeast

Dehydration is a cure-all!
I just sprained my eyeballs, rolling them.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

It takes a while and a lot of work for people to face the fact that they were, in fact, illegally practicing medicine without a license and may have taken part in harming others. There’s always a small percentage of criminals types and sociopaths in any group of size. But most scientologists believed they were doing good. However, since information is accessible and free for everyone and has been for some time, those that blindly obeyed the order to not look or read or think or talk about it are culpable. There’s that whole willfully ignorant and willfully irresponsible factor.

There are many crimes and methods of fraud that occur routinely inside scientology world that may not be as spectacular in consequence as death, but the members who’ve been around for ten to forty years have seen plenty of everything else. I think it’s only human nature that first they have to discover then recover from what was done to them, and last is what they did to others. Most will get there. The fanatics are either mentally ill or natural born socio’s.

joan nieman

Eclipse-girl, in some cases ignorance is not bliss as has been quoted in the past. If some of those people would just do a little research maybe they wouldn’t get scammed so badly. Damn!

Once_Born

There is, perhaps, an element of sunk cost bias here.

These people have been through ‘the purif’ (occasionally several times). It is difficult for them to admit to themselves that they were deceived into wasting their time and money (and possibly damaging their health).

This sort of self-deception is irrational, and it is very frustrating that it can result in harm to others. However, they can only advocate it, not provide it.

SciWatcher

My question is, Hamilton contacted by any other victims? Seems like it would make a good class-action lawsuit.

Eclipse-girl

It would. Perhaps those victims are waiting in the wings to see how well this lawsuit goes.

Gerard Plourde

I could be wrong about this but I think that the fact that the Welchs and Narconon are not citizens of the same state, diversity of citizenship allows it into Federal Court without needing to meet the $75,000 threshold.

Flynnie

Diversity requires the amount in controversy to be in excess of $75k. I’ve seen them remanded after removal for failing to meet the threshold, or dismissed if originally filed in federal court.

Gerard Plourde

Thanks. Interesting that the money amount trumps the possible perception of home state bias.

Flynnie

I know, right? Or inconvenient forum, frankly. But in this particular case., I don’t see the amount in controversy being an issue (not a lawyer, tho), inasmuch as they are pleading emotional distress damages (I think), and there could be additional penalties on the other damages (e.g., treble for fraud, etc.)

Robert Eckert

The Constitution permits, but does not require, federal courts to take diversity cases. Congress has authority to regulate which diversity cases they will have jurisdiction over and has increasingly restricted that jurisdiction to large cases.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Could it be it was accepted Federal also because the political maroons in Nevada won’t do something simple and fair like, oh I don’t know, provide regulations for medical facilities?

RMycroft

Narconon is in trouble. Before now, they’ve manage to keep legal cases under the radar, so that each family was in isolation, starting from scratch, and with a gag clause waiting at the end of settlement.

After Tara J filed her complaint, Narconon’s refund coordinator, June Rosenberry, sent her a release form to sign in order to receive $20,000 of the $25,000 she’d paid. The terms of the release prohibit her from making any negative comments about Narconon, L. Ron Hubbard, or the Association for Better Living and Education (the Scientology front group that is Narconon’s parent organization). After signing this form and cashing her refund check, she cannot contribute further information to this web page. As of mid-February 2005 she was doing well.

Jonny Jacobsen

Here’s another wee supplement to the Sunday Funnies: a nice crack at Scientology in this John Finnemore sketch.

Only available another four days, unless someone takes the time to extract it for posterity — beyond my meagre skills.

aquaclara

Oh, this is great. He is so funny. And I loved the laughter in the audience. Thanks for the find-going back to listen to the other bits now.

joan nieman

Thanks for your addition to the Sunday Funnies Jonny.

Espiando

I hope that someone’s already linked this article to the responses in yesterday’s Indie love-fest for the Purif (the usual suspects, of course) at Das Rinderblog, and it’s in the queue for Mike to approve.

This is my counter-argument for those here who preach understanding of Indies, with sufficient time for them to decompress and learn: No. Not when they’re supporting things that can be easily proven to cause harm to people, whether physical or psychological. The Purif is tops in the “physical” category.

Anonymous

I accept your challenge and I’m prepared to defend the idea of tolerating the Indies. I’ve always operated under the assumption that Scientology becomes much more dangerous as it becomes more centralized. The CofS itself is one extreme, two people doing Dianetic auditing is the other. Without the former, there is no crush regging, fair game, SO, RPF, ‘religious cloaking’, front groups, nor realistic hope of enforcing disconnection or hiding things like Xenu. In other words, the Indies are Scientology Lite, not unlike plenty of other quirky ‘New Age’ groups that you never heard of or cared about.

While the Purif is only one of many controversies surrounding Scientology, I’ll go ahead and address it just because you brought it up. Yes, its dangerous in any setting, but without the near immunity provided by CofS lawyers and religious cloaking, anyone who pushes it could face serious civil and/or criminal charges. In other words, they’re as vulnerable as any other snake oil peddler, and the law will catch up to any true believers that get people hurt.

As for the decompression thing, find a single ex that didn’t have to go through it. Arnie Lerma himself described being an Indie a natural stage in the gradual self deprogramming. There’s other reasons to tolerate them of course, but this is enough to start.

Espiando

Nony, you should know by now that the Church isn’t my target; the philosophy is. Indies still promulgate it. I focus primarily on those elements that personally affect me (1.1, anti-psych), then on elements that can cause direct harm like the Purif. You stick your head above the parapet and start shouting the L. Ron Party Line on those issues, your goldenrod isn’t going to give you immunity from me.

The Indies who’ve gone beyond and taken off the veil, I have no real problem with. The only issue I have with Les and Anita, for instance, is the Purif, but they don’t insist on it if a case doesn’t need it. But the KSW Ueber Alles contingent? They’re even more dangerous than the Kool-Aid Drinkers, because now they don’t have the cloak of the Church to hide behind. They’re Westboro Baptist with e-meters.

Anonymous

You seem to assume that I’m an ex or an Indie. Neither is the case. If you target the ‘subject’ as they would put it, instead of the CofS itself, IMHO you’re going after the wrong target. You didn’t address anything I wrote about the Indies lacking OSA lawyers or ‘religious cloaking,’ nor the impact in the real world if they try to implement Hubbard’s more dangerous stuff like the Purif. KSW is largely unenforcible without a central hierarchy, as with disconnection. If you choose to go after small splinter groups, you’ll put out more and more effect for increasingly smaller returns, while at the same time losing potential allies and important talking points relevant to outsiders. Would you have preferred Rathbun stayed quiet until he was fully decompressed? Do you really expect bystander wogs, essential to our cause, to grasp the subtleties between of Scientology’s ‘doctrine’ and how it might be interpreted by different parties? Of course not. By focusing on the CofS itself, you provide an easier to understand target, as well as the one actually causing the most problems.

Espiando

I know that you’re a never-in. And I target what I choose to target. The Church, as the primary promulgator of the philosophy, is a target, of course. But I’m following Anon’s initial brief: we will use any means necessary, including their own means, to destroy Scientology, and that includes Fair Game. Anything goes, and I have no problem using those techniques. Being divested of a conscience is a bonus sometimes.

There are Indies out there that want to enforce KSW. Steve Hall and his Milestone assholes, for instance. As I said, they’re worse than CoS, because they’ve supposedly removed themselves from the corruption and are “pure”. Well, to them, this is what purity is, and it needs to be eliminated without prejudice.

I don’t want allies that want me dead because of the fact that I have sex with other men. I don’t want allies that believe the help I receive from pharmaceuticals is a form of insidious mind control and needs to be eradicated. I don’t want allies who believe that sticking someone in a sauna for five hours a day, months at a time, and force-feeding them niacin will do something that is physiologically impossible.

This is the way I roll. I’ve given Indies and even CoS imbeciles the opportunity. When St.Claire begged me to lay off of him, I told him that I would if he abrogated the definition of 1.1 and the beliefs of CCHR. He refused. I continued. He’s no longer around (guess that Yaude decided to abandon that particular sock). I asked Theo straight out if he believed in the literal definition of 1.1. He said yes. I informed him that he was a homophobe who wanted to put the pink triangle back on me, and that I’d haunt him wherever he’d pop up. He’s barely posting at Marty’s and Das Rinderblog. My methods are working in pursuit of my goal.

I’m going to be honest: the people here are allies of convenience. We have areas of intersection in the Venn diagram of goals, but my approach and my reasons for doing this are different. As I’ve said, I don’t care about Disconnection. I don’t care about someone getting ripped off for hundreds of thousands of dollars in pursuit of a chimera. I don’t care about people signing themselves up for a billion years of mind-control slavery. I certainly don’t care about the celebutards. But when it comes to 1.1 and anti-psych activities, then I care, because they affect me personally. That is Why I Protest. You are my allies as long as we have common goals. But if you try to stop me from achieving the goals that may not coincide with yours, I will stop you.

Anonymous

Then I would say we have different goals that lead to our different approaches. I’m out to ‘systematically dismantle the CofS in its current form.’ I don’t specialize in anything in particular they do because they do so much to piss me off, but you have more specific complaints. I’m convinced that encouraging Scientology to splinter will bring about eventual victory. It will cost them their traditional greatest strength, centralized power and control, and hence limit their danger to society. You’re more concerned with stopping or reforming individuals and individual aspects of the belief system. Its probably best that we do things our own ways because we work towards similar, but not identical goals.

Espiando

Encouraging them to splinter only creates more targets for me, and that means more work, and I don’t want more work. You’re only interested in eliminating the symptoms of the disease. That’s not enough. I learned a good deal about how to do proper epidemiology when I was a pre-med (before I declared my physics major) and then in the Army when I was in the environmental health field. In order to eliminate the disease, you have to eliminate the reservoir and vector. The reservoir is Hubtard’s abominable philosophy. The vector is anything that promulgates that philosophy. That means that in order to eliminate the disease of Scientology and all it has wrought, including Narcofraud, you need to eliminate the Church and eliminate any Indies who don’t take the step to neuter the more repulsive aspects of Hubtard’s blather. At that point, Hubbard’s nonsense is taken out of the equation.

I don’t want an inactivated or attenuated virus that may or may not act as something to initiate an immune response. An Indie movement for Scientology will not behave like the smallpox and polio vaccines, especially since so many Indies are behaving like slightly-less-dangerous strains of the original. The chain of contagion has to be broken, and broken now. By Any Means Necessary.

Anonymous

Again, different approaches. You see them in terms of medicine, I see them in terms of psychology. I think the odds of even an Indie version of Scientology getting big are near zero. They’re bound by the policies written for both another age and situation by a long dead man who cant change them now. Most of the Indies will figure it out with time. The rest will die off, and they’re not getting any younger. The brands of L Ron Hubbard and Scientology and too trashed to revive at this stage, and the remnant groups pose minimal danger. Both the cause and symptoms will take care of themselves from here IMO. If going after them seems worth it to you, suit yourself.

Espiando

Scientology is a disease, period. And when you have the chance to eliminate a disease, you take it. Polio is endemic in only three countries on Earth right now: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. The only thing stopping us from eradicating polio right now is a bunch of fundamentalists with guns who think the immunization crews are sterilizing children. The Indies are the Taliban and Boko Haram in the battle to eradicate Scientology. And I’m not going to lay down for them just because people want to go hugbox on them.

WildaBeast

Medical analogy, Anonymous: for you the {Church} (centralizing force) is the host, and the {Scripture} (Elron’s stoned ranting) is the virus. You believe that the virus will inevitably die off once it’s no longer able to propagate from within its current host, because no other host in which it may propagate itself will be able to protect a virus which is now incredibly vulnerable, though it wasn’t nearly so vulnerable 60 years ago. You think it will die out on its own given time. Espiando wants to eliminate the source of it, just to be sure. Yes?

Anonymous

I can’t put this in strictly medical terms. I’m saying Scientology is too disreputable to propagate at all these days, whether CofS or Indie, because the Internet makes Scientology very vulnerable regardless of host. They’re both bound by Hubbard’s scriptures, but they were written with alot of money, power, and secrecy in mind. They were also written before the Internet. Smaller fractions don’t have unlimited funds to fight legal battles, or the sort of monopoly that makes things like disconnection possible. And yes, without these things, I think the offshoots will die. In the meantime though, I have no intention of alienating potential allies that are still sorting out their experiences, especially given their much lower capacity to commit fraud and abuse.

Now if you don’t mind, I’ve been arguing about this for hours and I’m off to the new post.

Lemont

The way I see it is this:

Espiando wants to eliminate the philosophy, because he feels it will propagate successfully outside of the Corporation.

Anon and myself feel that eliminating the Corporation will solve the problem, because the philosophy can’t propagate without the Corporation.

WildaBeast

I don’t want allies that want me dead because of the fact that I have
sex with other men. I don’t want allies that believe the help I receive
from pharmaceuticals is a form of insidious mind control and needs to
be eradicated.

Upvoted for those two sentences alone. I sleep with other chicks (okay, I sleep with one other chick, but same difference), and psych meds only made me crazier (I love pot, I love pot, I love pot, etc.)…but in principle, I couldn’t agree with you more.

A lot of Indies have a ‘live and let live’ philosophy; they practice some stuff that I think is the epitome of woo, but they do it on a case-by-case basis, without charging an arm and a leg, and they do it with compassion. Those folks I have no problem with. Not all Indies are the same though, and using the umbrella term of Indies to refer to all the independently practicing groups only confuses the issue when debates like this take place.

Zana

Excellent points. Thank you for taking the time to give such an intelligent answer to Espiando. I now ignore all his comments and rants, as I don’t think he understands the realities and subtleties going on here. He or she is just an angry person and has found a place where they can spew their general dessatisfaction with life, hidden behind an avatar. Thanks for adding some sanity to the discussion.

Espiando

At least I know how to spell “dissatisfaction”. And I do understand the realities and subtleties of what’s going on here. I just don’t care about many of them because they don’t personally affect me. What does affect me, though, is serious enough for me to fight against.

Baby

Zana.. I disagree with you.

We all react in different ways than each other..I have found Espiando’s comments to be right on the money..

Zana

Thank you, Baby. I respect your opinion. I think it’s good that we all have our various viewpoints on all this. Whatever they are, I believe it is important that we move forward creating our lives as abundant and powerful. Squabbling over details doesn’t work… however envisioning does.

And we can agree to disagree. The important thing is that we are all on the same side focusing on a specific goal… dismantling the Church of Miscavige.

I think to let the Free Zoners do what they like. I got a lot out of auditing myself. It was much better than regular therapy. Dealt with some things that I had given up on dealing with. And LRH was definitely flawed. I still am not sure what to keep and what to leave about the whole mess. I know it’s not a religion. There is nothing spiritual about it. But there are some things there as Self Help that might be useful. Even so… I don’t believe that I am here to smash the Free Zoners. I don’t think they will ever reach the terrible power-hungry insatiability that the Co$ has instituted. That’s just a matter of free choice. The Co$ has taken away all free choice and free expression.

Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your insight and your comments on this blog.

Baby

Oh Zana.. First thank you for such nice words..and absolutely agree with your assessment to agree to disagree..

We are good to go.. ; 0 I love a healthy debate… xo Baby

Zana

Right on, Baby!! :-)))) I love it… “healthy debate”… ! It’s very creative. Gives us all so many points of view to choose from… to combine from.

Baby

xo

Lemont

Well said. The whole charade falls apart outside of the “Iron Curtain” of the corporation. The indies are the biggest thorn in Miscavige’s side right now.

Another thing to keep in perspective is that Hubbard’s books will remain available for purchase and in libraries, long after the Church has collapsed. Unless we advocate book burning, the philosophy itself is not going away. Fortunately, it just doesn’t have appeal to rational, unindoctrinated people, and will become increasingly obscure.

Espiando

This is something that I implied earlier, but you stated directly in an effective fashion: the philosophy is so ridiculous that without active promulgation, it will be relegated to the fringes of the fringes and die a perfectly natural death in obscurity. To kill the philosophy, promulgation must be ended.

Anonymous

This. Hubbard wrote KSW for a reason, which was control, and without that control the ‘indoc’ falls apart over time. Personally, I support their efforts to get a set of the Basics into every library. It allows their nuttiness to be exposed for all to see.

Lemont

I agree. It’s a great insight in to the power of indoctrination, when you realize the works of LRH are actually repugnant, in and of themselves. What processes need to be in place to con people in to accepting an repulsive belief system? Take a look at the “church” for the answer.

AutOmatic

Espi is right, the philosophy itself should be targeted, mainly because it just doesn’t work. Take a look at the absurd claims by L. Bum Hugger :

Also, show me a motherfucking OT that is telekinetic, and can create/affect physical objects/other humans using only their “spiritual (thetan) abilities”. They don’t exist, it’s all bullshit, and the indies know it.

Espiando

It’s not only the claims. It’s the whole disgusting and inaccurate pseudo-science that goes into making those claims. Dianetics justifies engrams without a single shred of evidence. History of Man creates thetans out of thin air. All About Radiation is a totally inaccurate justification for one of the main reasons for the Purif. He’s created an entire body of lies to service the core lie, and if someone is gullible enough to fall for one thing in the body of lies…the most apt comparison is that Scientology is a black hole of bullshit, and the Basics are the event horizon.

Captain Howdy

To me the problem with the “philosophy” is that just like Christian Science and the J.W’s it promotes dangerous and perhaps deadly concepts about medicine and medical care. That to me is reason enough to ban it.

Anonymous

Then go after the corporation for actually practicing the philosophy and hold them to account for it. People are allowed to believe whatever they want, but they’re not allowed to behave however they want.

Baby

“I’ve always operated under the assumption that Scientology becomes much
more dangerous as it becomes more centralized. ”

SCIENTOLOGY HAS ALWAYS BEEN DANGEROUS. Period

Indies place the blame on DM.. Most of us place the blame on LRH with DM just taking the football and running with it.

Anonymous

Hyperbole. Compare the horrific accounts from the corporate cult to those of the Indies.

He was mostly conman, but also part seeker. No saint by any stretch, a bigamist, Satanist, compulsive liar who tried to abort Nibs with a coat hanger and claimed military glory he never earned. But how I feel about him isn’t what really matters.

Baby

I can tell you how I feel…in a different way..

Let’s say I had a Grandfather that abused me physically.. I was bad so he put me in a chained locker in the basement .. I was grossly neglected. I had little food and little water and then when he let me out he would throw me over his boat..

My grandfather was very cruel to me.. and would beat me every night before putting me in my locker. He would have others call me names and I would sob myself to sleep.

He was a famous artist …and people collected his art works..

Now … I am free .. I am adult and I wrote a book about what an Evil, Evil person he was who wouldn’t let me see my mom or dad.. EVER … and detailed the abuse that I suffered for years and years..

So now everyone knows that he is a sick man.. but boy could he paint.. So Freakin Talented..

As that young girl in the locker.. How do I not want to SPIT upon the work of art left behind?

How can the person who knows the facts and still enjoy and appreciate the Art left behind.

Anonymous

I understand this can be a difficult area for ex-members, and I’m not doing it rile anyone up. I certainly have no wish to put you down or make little of your experiences. My only desire here is to make the best strategic choices to bring the cult down, to prevent or at least minimize the odds of similar things happening in the future. Remember, if I didn’t give a damn about people like you, why would I even be here?

Baby

Anonymous.. An open dialogue is healthy.

I am a Never In but have been involved in different ways… Dianetics Course Work in College 2 years.. Friends and family in type thing.

I was writing from a different perspective. I never want exes to think I experienced atrocities that they did..

joan nieman

Oh ya Baby!

http://lliira.dreamwidth.org/ Lliira

People are perfectly capable of going after more than one thing at a time. For instance, I can not only attack Scientology in all its forms, I am also capable of criticizing LRH’s stupid fiction, the Catholic church, fellow atheists, Stephenie Meyer, and the state of Mexican restaurants in the Tampa area.

Lemont

Espiando- I understand you are personally interested in the anti-psych/ purif element of Scientology, and are unconcerned about the other human rights abuses. But I’m not sure expending your energy on the indies (who are the BIGGEST threat to corporate Scientology) is a very strategic approach.

The indies aren’t organizing the anti-psych lobbies, or marching on the APA meetings. The indies aren’t actively targeting actual psychiatrists and having their medical licenses revoked. The indies aren’t creating high production value “psych buster” videos, or financing the “industry of death” exhibits. And the indies aren’t indirectly killing people by withholding their psych meds, or access to psychiatric care. No, the Church of Scientology is the one doing ALL of that.

Espiando

I’ve decided not to bother playing chess with this. I prefer Whack-a-Mole. It’s equally as fun and viscerally more satisfying. You espouse Hubbard’s philosophy, I smash you. It’s simple and catharthic.

ETA: Oooooooh, negative votes for not following the Bunker Hive Mind. Just goes to prove my point, really.

Mooser

But you’ve got to admit, it is a lot more satisfying to mock Indies. It’s the wonderful personal investment they have in the “tech” or the e-meter which is so fun to fuck with.
As I have to dislike them in order to dislike Scientology. And since I do, it’s all the better.
A Scientologist is somebody who sees a pile of horseshit and says: “There must be a Pony in there!” An Indie is even worse, he figures not only is there a pony (or a unicorn) in there, he’s going to get to ride it home! Wanna-be Hubbards. Which, I suppose, is in some ways better than a wanna-be Miscavige.
But if I go any further I may become immoderate, and I refuse to display myself in such a light.

Mooser

“The indies aren’t organizing the anti-psych lobbies, or marching on the
APA meetings. The indies aren’t actively targeting actual psychiatrists
and having their medical licenses revoked. The indies aren’t creating
high production value “psych buster” videos, or financing the “industry
of death” exhibits.”

And tell me, who is doing those things? You have one hell of an inflated idea of what Scientology is able to accomplish against Psychiatry.

Lemont

Yeah, I was kind of channeling the Asthmatic Dwarf and his Rolling Thunder of Stupification. But whatever failed activism Miscavige attempts against Psychs, they at least have the gall to try to play “doctor”, which makes them dangerous.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

How about selling and delivering the Purif? How about putting children on the cans or through ethics?

Anything anyone does behind their own closed doors to themselves is nobody’s business. But anyone who is selling scientology to unwary customers and telling them such things as toxins can be sweated out, here’s some toxic levels of niacin to take, if you start hallucinating, get back in the sweat box, and if it didn’t work, you have crimes or overts and connected to an SP, so let me sell you some ethics.

There is no scientology without fraud or without ethics. Get a real education into the field you are trying to practice in and have a real cognition. If you really want to help people, you have to do all the steps that everyone else does. You are neither above the law nor the requirements.
If you’re not willing to do that, then find another hobby. Because otherwise, that’s all it is … a hobby and you have no right to meddle with people’s physical or mental health.

WildaBeast

When I was 17 and homeless, I slept in a park with 25-30 other folks. We were a fairly close group, but of course there was inevitable and endless drama. Because I wasn’t personally involved in the drama, was preternaturally quick at picking up on people’s emotional states and the reasons for them, and lastly because I was a good listener, these folks came to me for unofficial counseling. I used to joke that I’d make a “Psychiatrist 5 cents” sign and hang it out.
I helped a lot of people – gave them someone to talk to, a sounding board so they could blow off steam and start to see their own solutions, I could help them make one connection and then they could do the rest, that kind of thing.
But I did some damage too. People who had problems bigger than I could get my head around, people whose problems were so unrelated to anything I’d experienced that I gave all the wrong advice, people for whom I cared too much to be able to be objective. I had nothing but the best intentions, I was doing nothing but the most innocuous talk therapy – and I fucked up. I may well have contributed (though I don’t carry all the responsibility for it) to a nearly-complete personality alteration in one 15-year-old girl. I loved her and I will never forgive myself for thinking I had her answers.
I charged no money. I did stuff that has a proved beneficial effect. I made no moral judgments and I certainly didn’t demand anyone get their fucking ethics in. And I still hurt people. How much more damage can the Indies do, applying Scientology Lite to kids?
What they do to themselves, amongst consenting adults, I have no problem with. But as soon as they’re recruiting, or they involve their kids, fuck ‘em.

*Edited for bad grammar in the third paragraph

Baby

Amen Sister.. I agree with you 100%

joan nieman

I agree THDNE! People need to educate themselves and do the research. That is the bottom line.

http://lliira.dreamwidth.org/ Lliira

The biggest threat to corporate Scientology is the internet. That, and Scientology itself.

villagedianne

If the Purif was done under close medical supervision, and could be changed or altered on a case-by case basis to accommodate individual health risks, then I think it would be OK. But apparently COS does not allow this. Ironically, the exorbitant fees charged could have been used to hire competent medical professionals, and adequate security. Instead the money goes up the pipeline to COS.

Lemont

The problem is that Purif has no basis on scientific fact, and therefore shouldn’t be attempted at all. By anyone.

Sarah James

Yes, more like ” I’m not a doctor but” I play one on staff. If it makes you sick as a dog then it’s working.

Mooser

“then I think it would be OK.”

OK for what? What does it do? Why waste the money, the facilities, the people’s time?

Is the concept of “fraud” that difficult to understand? Of course, being me, I guess I’ve got a head start on understanding it, huh.

villagedianne

Then I think it would be OK as a form of alternative medicine.

Espiando

Using mercury, a perfectly natural material, as an alternative and “old-school” treatment for syphilis instead of nasty, artificially-created antibiotics is probably acceptable to you as well.

villagedianne

Kindly do not put words in my mouth or attribute thoughts and opinions to me which exist only in your imagination.

Espiando

People here have been doing that with me in this very thread. What’s good for the goose is sauce for the gander.

Mooser

“then I think it would be OK.”

OK for what? What does it do? Why waste the money, the facilities, the people’s time?

Is the concept of “fraud” that difficult to understand? Of course, being me, I guess I’ve got a head start on understanding it, huh.

Mooser

“then I think it would be OK.”

OK for what? What does it do? Why waste the money, the facilities, the people’s time?

Is the concept of “fraud” that difficult to understand? Of course, being me, I guess I’ve got a head start on understanding it, huh.

Karen715

I find it impossible to believe that any “competent medical professional” would sign off on any aspect of prolonged saunas and toxic doses of niacin. There is a difference between being open to new age or non-traditional health practices, and embracing quackery just because it is non-traditional.

D.Y.G.

Competent, ethical medical professionals won’t get involved in dangerous practices like poisoning people with high doses of vitamins.

villagedianne

High doses of niacin is already used as a medical treatment, albeit with known side effects:

I’ve read a study regarding hypertension that infused 2.8mg of niacin per minute for 60 minutes in its subjects. 168mg. That was considered high dosage with potential for liver damage and other side effects. It still doesn’t come close to 5000mg/day that is taken by the end of the Purif.

The site you linked, WebMD, says, “Maximum daily intake for adults of all ages: 35 milligrams daily…. much higher doses — 2 to 3 grams or more — are used to treat high cholesterol…. Do not treat high cholesterol on your own with over-the-counter niacin supplements.”

How does high cholesterol have anything to do with the Purif? It doesn’t.

http://lliira.dreamwidth.org/ Lliira

No it would not be ok. Not only does it fail; it harms people. No competent medical professional would be willing to deal with it. It is thoroughgoing quackery.

valshifter

Just watched the movie One nation under God, the subject scientology came up at 59:11 and they end up interviewing a guy with Guy fawkes mask, for the subject of scientology you know how it went, no scienos with fake smiles. just real juicy stuff.

Observer

The figure in the Narconon logo doesn’t communicate the concept of freedom to me. It looks like it’s fleeing in terror; it’s what I thought the first time I saw the logo, and as more atrocities have come to light that impression just gets stronger.

RMycroft

I’ve always thought of the logo as “Gumby flees the cult”.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Thank you. That’s it!

WildaBeast

/rolling on the floor laughing with tears pouring down my cheeks pounding the carpet with my fist
RMy, if I remember right you’re from near me…do you know the statue at University and Dundas commonly known as “Gumby goes to Heaven”?

Brilliant! I’d love this to appear under a hearsay search for Narconon

Colin Henderson

Spot on Observer!

dagobarbz

I fixed that guy…

Douglas D. Douglas

To me it looks like a figure desperately trying to fly, and unable to do so because it’s foot is gripped in a bear trap.

grundoon

..

Observer

Wow, that’s eerie

Mark

They need to redesign that logo (refresh):

Observer

Hahaha, love it!

Captain Howdy

BARFANON: Better Living Through Projectile Vomiting

Cat Daddy

BARFONON keeping the O

Colin Henderson

Perfect! Well done Mark!

Sam Domingo

So funny

KNMF

Anywhere there is a Narconon, there is probably great potential for a lawsuit.

Here’s hoping that attorneys all over the country see the opportunity to stick it to this immoral and fraudulent front group for Scientology. Scientology is a money-tree for lawyers any way you slice it.

scnethics

So true! And each time another attorney examines the fraud, more ideas come to the surface, improving the blue print for the litigation. The more cases are fully navigated, the easier and more attractive it becomes for other attorneys. Way to go, Ryan Hamilton!

Panopea Abrupta

In the spirit of the Sunday funnies, what the future holds for wee Davey:

Retch, El Wretch, Retch

The starship Foulwinds circled the planet Chlamydia, passing inside its red and white moon, Vistaril.
No fair winds or following seas now, no good roads or good weather, rather a howling galactic storm and exploding volcanoes.

Her asbestos coat protected her but barely.

The silver ship was piloted by the malignant dwarf.
Alone on the bridge, he was headed for the dwarf star Senex Maleficus in the Venemous Serpent galaxy.

The black hole beyond it would be his final lair.

The Rolling Stones came faintly in the background, Jagger’s
whining Pom voice intoning “You cain’t always git what you wa-ant, oh no
…”

The decor was like a Bollywood extravaganza,
designed by someone who had the IQ of a cactus and the aesthetic
sensibilities of the Kray brothers. It was part Vegas kitsch, part
Albert Speer, a veritable paean to bad taste.

It was dominated by a large portrait of a pock-marked jowly man with weak lips and a leering look.

Definitely not someone you would buy an abused slave or a used Venusian train from.

His motto “Radix malorum est cupiditas” was inscribed on the silver vaults.

Over all, his flag, the trusty Scars and Strife, easily identifiable by it’s double cross.

He was fleeing a grave miscarriage of ethics by the evil Wogs.

It wasn’t a fair game, his mere 22 lawyers against 1.
The damned hanging judge wanted to depose him.

Some even had the effrontry to suggest HE was a miscarriage of justice.

No wonder he had to mosey on out of there.

Couldn’t even exercise his First Amendment Rights.

He’d even sent his own personal dildo as a peace offering.

Tom wasn’t happy, it was his favourite.

He cursed as he texted all idle morgues.

YSCOHB

ML,

COB

At least the 8 million would know he was fine, behaving as usual, spouting arcane alphabet soup in guise of Comm.

He had only a skeletal skeleton crew now, fiercely loyal.

Some were bruised and battered from their travails.

No ordinary battery, an
eternal battery, developed at least 50 years ago by a nuclear physicist
who now was one of his pet body thetans.
Perfected by himself through
assiduous research and arduous practice..

Nothing serious – squirrel bites mostly, they said.

Mere slaps, said others.

“It’s only a flesh wound” muttered yet others.

The escape, the platinum engravings safely aboard, had been arduous.

Smuggled him out in a Victoria’s Secret box.

Lucky he fit.

Packed
him into John Revolting’s private jet, hidden him in one of the
jet’s closets, the last samurai guarding them for their cruise to the secret base.

The hurried looting of gold and diamonds.

Celerity, not celebrity, now.

Then the blast-off into the dark skies.

The blaze at Hemet would last for years.

That would teach them to revolt, the slaves.

They had always been revolting.

Unlike the noble whales.

He’d harpooned a few of them in his time.

Now he was more like Captain Ahab.

Even the finest amber barley juices from far Teegeeack could not now dull the pain.

Not much remained in any case, a case or two.

At the rate he needed it now, a week’s supply at most.

His wounds were grevious following the Wars.

The affirmations hadn’t worked.
Asthma, shmasthma.

Couldn’t clear it like he’d cleared crime from Ireland.

Worse, an ulcer troubled him now and red-eye bothered him.

Those were surely from his pet body thetan, El Wretch, nicknamed Snow White.

Even a z-meter couldn’t remove the foul stench, the suppurating pus when that thetan made it’s presence felt.

At least he wouldn’t be deposed.

Wait, what was that that had just appeared on his oiliness table?

A mock up of a financial advisor from Texas?

A real estate agent from Austin?

“Your oiliness”

“Tommy”

“The posse is after you.”

“The posse ?

How could they?

They have no juristiction here.”

“The Marcabians gave it to them, oh noble ectoplasm.”

“Treason.

TREASON” he screamed.

“They wanna lynch you, divine slappiness.”

“Handle it, you c***-s*****.

HANDLE IT.”

Raising himself up to his full height, he reached for The Macallan.

He was at least a meter tall with the 2 inch lift in his bespoke John Lobb shoes

I’m sure I only have a small fraction. When they went to people working for commission and each created piles of sites with no mention of Narconon, it got crazy trying to track them. They even use Ajax to load the 800 number from the mothership so that searching for the 800 number won’t find the page. (Of course, when you spot that trick, you can search of other tells in the pages.)

Just wondering if the person who refers them and fails to mention the true nature of the treatment (who gets 10%) is also brought into any suit that is brought against the Narconon centre?

Might make a few of them think before referring?

scnethics

Most of the sites will refer people to the closest Narconon, regardless of affiliation, so in a way, all those sites point to the detox in Murrieta. If you post a throwaway email address, I’ll send you a couple of websites you don’t have on your list yet.

Said the church about their former esteemed cover boy: Mr. Haggis once again is exploiting his tenuous connection with Scientology to grab headlines,” the letter reads, accusing Haggis of using the platform as a “transparent plug” for his upcoming film. “His statement that the organization anonymously comments negatively about those who leave the church is delusional and borders on paranoia.”

The statement goes on to allege that Haggis, who famously left the church in 2009 after 35 years of membership, has “no firsthand knowledge about the Church of Scientology” but instead gets his information from “a small collection of unemployed bloggers living on the fringe of the Internet.”

“Mr. Haggis has chosen to align himself with a small posse of lunatics with arrest records, who have acknowledged in depositions to being secretly on the payroll of the tabloids and who have admitted on
national television to outright lying,” the church’s statement reads.

ze moo

Does anyone believe the ‘press releases’ of the clampire anymore? Even the loyal clams must be reeling from the ‘Haggis is a happy loyal Lroner’ to ‘Haggis is a SP’ cognitive dissonance. I like cognitive dissonace, it eventually makes people think.

I still think ‘Posse of Lunatics’ would make a great band name.

Sherbet

I’m proud to be part of the “small collection of unemployed bloggers living on the fringe of the Internet.”

Ruby

“His statement that the organization anonymously comments negatively about those who leave the church is delusional and borders on paranoia.”

That is so funny…they are doing it right in that very statement!

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Perfect example of double think. In scientology, it really Does exist!

TheHoleDoesNotExist

You left out the “status seeker” part. I think Celebrity Center has to start using these for their mag covers about now. I doubt anyone will even notice.

I wander if captain miscavige tries to contact the spirit of L Con to ask for guidance in this ecclesiastical trying times? do scienos pray, do they use telepathy, or do they teletransport themselves using their OT powers?

TheHoleDoesNotExist

If a football, hockey or baseball game is on, my husband does that teletransport thing but comes back to blurt a few naughty prayers now and then. Oh, and he screams guidance at the coaches all the time so I guess the answer is “all of the above”.

grundoon

DM is holding a seance right now begging Ron for the OT IX materials.

aegerprimo

This is an excellent 10-part article that came out November, 2013. Really worth reading!

The article thoroughly explains why when Stacey and David Welch looked for a drug rehab for their son, they (unfortunately) found Narconon.

10oriocookies

The NarCONon world is shrinking fast in the US. Reliable sources at NarCONon’s largest facility in the world (Arrowhead) put their current population at less than 50 clients. The second largest center in the world, Freedom Center, reportedly has a population of less than 40. Their staff hasn’t been paid in 5 weeks and their Executive Director quit after relapsing and getting caught. He went “back to school” though. Freedom Center put John Walser back at the helm. This is good news because he is about as useful as a pair of tits on a bull. This will only accelerate their demise.

Espiando

Keep on pressing them, Eric. There’s blood in the water and a giant gaping wound in the body. The time for the Killing Blow is now.

10oriocookies

They have two very large sharks circling now. I consider one to be like a Megalodon and the other a very pissed off Jaws. Im pretty sure they dont know either of them are circling either. They might, but its only a matter of time before they bite.

Eclipse-girl

Megs were very dangerous. 60 ft long. Teeth that could be as wide as 7 ins.

Nice reference.

10oriocookies

Their current legal situations are like bull or mako. Whats coming is going to hurt them bad.

Captain Howdy

Makos are quick strike artists were as Bulls are tenacious and determined and can survive in freshwater like..Lake Arrowhead.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Hahaha Saw what you did there.
Wait…freshwater?

Qbird

hiya Hole, yes freshwater — sharks have been found in Lake Nicaragua, Lake Ponchartrain, the Ohio River, the Mississippi River, the Ganges, the Irrawaddy River, & the Zambezi River. No lie.

Captain Howdy

Yes and if you get attacked swimming were you live chances are it’s going to be a bull.

Hey! We swim. We eat. We make baby sharks.We smile at puny humans ~
here’s a shot:

Eclipse-girl

The last I read, scientists had decided Megalodon Charcharodon were not a direct ancestor to the great white, but I do not know what if any species may be their direct descendants.

Captain Howdy

Yes, there’s a definite debate as to whether megalodon and great whites are actually related.

Captain Howdy

7″ long, not wide, and 60′ would be a maximum length with 40′ being more the norm.

Eclipse-girl

I bow to better knowledge than mine.

Still they were impressive

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Music to my ears. Jaws soundtrack

dagobarbz

Wait until they get a look at the Mosasaur coming their way. Mos makes Meg look like Suzie Cupcake.

L. Wrong Hubturd

So glad to see you here 10. You are very important in the fight with the Narconon tentacle of the beast. Take care of yourself, but keep kicking ass too!

aquaclara

Great news here in your update, Ten O. Thank you – and wishing you well.

WildaBeast

The laws around medical oversight (or rehab oversight, apparently – same difference) in Nevada are horrible. My wife’s mother lives there and has more health problems than a hospital ward, poor lady. She had a prolapsed uterus (if you don’t know, you probably don’t wanna) a few years back and they had to do a hysterectomy. Well, they fucked something up pretty badly during surgery and she’s had all kinds of stomach problems ever since – ridiculous bloating, swelling, etc. She can’t sue. Malpractice laws there are such that she can’t do a damn thing about what happened – and without a lawsuit payout, she can’t afford another surgery to fix the problem.
If Nevada is willing to make laws that screw over little old ladies that badly, I’m somehow not surprised that their rehab facilities have no legal requirement for oversight.
I hope the Welches end up okay. I also hope Jack was at the smoking-pot end of things rather than the shooting-coke end of things – because after a few months shouting at ashtrays, he probably went on a bender the moment he got out. Poor kid.

aegerprimo

John P. Capitalist did a PHENOMENAL post last week that outlines how drugs are metabolized in the body. (I wish I wrote this.) Knowing these pharmacology basics, it is easy to debunk the workability of L. Ron Hubbard’s Purification Rundown.

It is not difficult to do a bit of research on the internet about how radiation affects living cells. NO WAY is the
Purification Rundown a method of “running out” radiation accumulated in the body. Once cells are damaged, they are damaged, just like once cells are dead, they are dead. This info at Operation Clambake is a good start to understanding why LRH’s Purification Rundown is mere pseudoscience.

I had to laugh when I read the line about Jack being told to get back in “the box”. That is a term that is commonly used around the orgs in reference to the sauna. Altho many years ago, we were told by our management seniors to stop calling it “the box” because it sounded unprofessional and demeaning, and that only Jokers and Degraders would use that term.

Espiando

And it’s wonderful that the whole thing is a reference to Cool Hand Luke, almost as if it’s a tribute to our own Mister Catton.

richelieu jr

I thought the same thing!

“What we have he-ah, is failure to communicate…”

Captain Howdy

Narconon Basic Rules:

“Them clothes got laundry numbers on them. You remember your number and
always wear the ones that has your number. Any man forgets his number
spends a night in the box. These here spoons you keep with you. Any man
loses his spoon spends a night in the box. There’s no playing grab-ass
or fighting in the building. You got a grudge against another man, you
fight him Saturday afternoon. Any man playing grab-ass or fighting in
the building spends a night in the box. First bell’s at five minutes of
eight when you will get in your bunk. Last bell is at eight. Any man not
in his bunk at eight spends the night in the box. There is no smoking
in the prone position in bed. To smoke you must have both legs over the
side of your bunk. Any man caught smoking in the prone position in
bed… spends a night in the box. You get two sheets. Every Saturday,
you put the clean sheet on the top… the top sheet on the bottom… and
the bottom sheet you turn in to the laundry boy. Any man turns in the
wrong sheet spends a night in the box. No one’ll sit in the bunks with
dirty pants on. Any man with dirty pants on sitting on the bunks spends a
night in the box. Any man don’t bring back his empty pop bottle spends a
night in the box. Any man loud talking spends a night in the box. You
got questions, you come to me. I’m Carr, the floor walker. I’m
responsible for order in here. Any man don’t keep order spends a night
in…”

richelieu jr

I think Jack left out that part of his instructions was ‘It puts the lotion on it’s skin/or else it gets the hose again…”

richelieu jr

There’s a place you’ve got to go for learning
all you want to know about the facts of life
You may find your skin is still burning with
the facts of life.

Ron’s books are what you’re there about
and ashtrays sure to raise a shout
by the e-meter’s light,
to learn the facts of life.

When the world never seems
to be living up to your dreams
it’s time you started finding out
what everything is all about

When the boys you used to date you interrogate,
I guess you best investigate
the facts of life you gotta bill ‘em right
the facts of life,
the facts of life,
the facts of life

You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and take their cash
The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

There’s a time you got to go and show
You’re growin’ now you know about
all of L Ron’s lies, the Facts of Life.

When the world never seems
to be livin’ up to your dreams
And suddenly you’re finding out
This KR here’s all about you, you.

You’ll avoid a lot of damages
an enjoy the fun of managing
at Narconon;
they shed a lot of light
If you hear them from your brother,
send a KR on your mother
better get them right,
call them late at night
and they’ll be gone, you’ve still got Ron

You got the future in the palm of your hands
all you gotta do to get you through is understand
we think you’d better do without,
we’ll spend your cash better than you, no doubt
the facts of life is all about screw you

stateofcircle

Caliente, NV is just a hotbed of illegal cult activities… Scientology has Narconon out there and the FLDS regularly performed several underage marriages at a member-owned crappy hotel there as well. So I guess if you need a place for your cult to carry out the more illegal-y types of operations, Caliente is the place to go. Caliente: We turn a blind eye to insidious cult practices because hey, who wants to bother.

dagobarbz

“…Nevada’s oversight is so weak, the facility is essentially unregulated. After his story, a bill was proposed to regulate the rehab center, but the bill failed to become law.”

Yeah, nice lawmakers you got there, Nevada. All lookin out for your interests and well-being and such. Pity you can’t add them to a lawsuit…

aegerprimo

Maybe the legislators were paid to turn their heads and hide their pens. Not surprising it happened in a State where gambling and prostitution are legal and were once run by Mafia gangsters.

Snippy_X

No worse than Oklahoma’s “new” legislation, but I don’t even want to go there now.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Scientology has that vulture reputation for a reason.

Mighty Korgo of Teegeeack

Hubbard said that he was trying to make the able more able. God help the able. But when he messes with an individual who actually needs help, the cult of greed and power becomes the cult of unabashed evil.

AutOmatic

$cientology: Disabling the able since 1950.

Mighty Korgo of Teegeeack

You got an audible laugh out of me with that one. I will remember it.

DamOTclese2

How ironic seeing that The U.S. Tax Payers Are Getting Attacked once again by a Scientology crim who managed to convince a dipshit at University at Albany to test trial the crime syndicate’s quack medical fraud notions.

LouLouLegs

Wow….please people, email the persons responsible for this study and enlighten them. This is horrible.

DamOTclese2

This may be a good thing depending upon who conducts the tests since obviously actual scientific testing would show that it is fraud from end to end. The tax payer is already getting it up the bottom endlessly for equally-fraudulent “testing” of quack medical frauds so this is merely one more among thousands committed against us every year.

To have Scientology’s “Purification Rundown” fraud actually scientifically tested and exposed as a fraud would be a good thing. Since this is the University At Albany there is no telling whether it is a Scientology crook doing the testing or whether it’s an actual real scientist.

3feetback-of-COS

I agree.

Snippy_X

Me, too. They should still be informed of all the ways the Co$ will attempt to skew the outcome in their favor. With only 50 participants, the study should be carefully examined for design flaws. I’m not an expert on clinical trials, but I am already questioning about five things in the design of the study. The experience of those who drop out also need to be included in the study report.

Always go for the phone numbers: 888-966-3784. (Unless they’re playing games with that.)

Free Minds, Free Hearts

It is not good. Co-investigator is Kathleen Kerr of Narconon Canada and it takes place at a $cilon facility.

Snippy_X

There needs to be impartial oversight or they need to return the funding.

Free Minds, Free Hearts

The principal investigator is David O Carpenter, doesn’t seem to be a $cilon. But his co-investigator is Kathleen Kerr, director of Narconon Canada. The study is taking place at $cilon facility Severna Park in Maryland.

The study design seems quite bogus. Both the “experimental” and “control” group get the purif, and get tested before and after. The only difference is that the “experimental” group gets the purif right away, while the “control” group has to wait 4-6 weeks before they start the purif. The also exclude people with psychiatric conditions.

I can’t believe this got past peer review.

DamOTclese2

So it’s going to be a fraud, not a real scientific test. How typical.

One problem is that Scientology’s “NarCONon” fraud is so dangerous that it can’t be tested scientifically without serious medical problems being a potential consequence.

I posted this to Free Minds on another thread. I see that Severna Park Health Center is mentioned on that thread and some others. It is linked to owner Brian Gallagher http://www.cypresscreektherapy.com/

I just called the phone number given for Severna Park Health Center and the message said to call a Arlene Rich at a 727 number. http://thinkclearlynow.com/con…

The web site for them is down and no facebook updates since June 2012.

– Under Sauna Health Systems, here are medical forms as well as fear inducing quack.
There are far too many slippery verbs and phrases in this medical clearance blurb that are alarming. I hope any lawyers have appropriate copies.

Don’t know what all the fuss is about. Fresh Start guarantees their results– with a WRITTEN guarantee. In ink!

If you’re not satisfied, however, they don’t promise to return your money. If you’re not satisfied, YOU return your loved one to them! And pay any minor handling fees as well.

So there you are.

(refresh)

chukicita

Sweet baby Xenu. Where to begin? You couldn’t make this stuff up.
I know I was never in and may not have the grasp of Scientologese, but I’d like to try my hand at translating:

Written Guarantee (because you’re reading it, not hearing it out loud)

If any mark doesn’t submit a happy success story, we will hound him or her to come back so we can reg for the Purification Rundown. We will call our friends at American Express to increase your credit limit so you can afford the holy enema we’re about to give your bank account. We will find a way for the Purification Rundown to be required for you, so you pay for it twice – once before we give you the “advanced treatment review” program, which will culminate in your signing up for even more Scientology, and once during your second stay at Fresh Meat Nevada. It’s all your responsibility.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

Excellent translation. Just add “relentless, ass ripping, soul destroying, constant sec checks and you can go to the examiner and get your certificate.

chukicita

You’re right. I had thought the ‘even more Scientology’ phrasing would inherently contain the relentless, ass ripping, soul destroying part, but you know what? You can never be too clear.

Tony Ortega

New Post UP

Free Minds, Free Hearts

I am so sorry about Phillip Seymour Hoffman. What a great actor.

chukicita

I kind of want to know where the 76% “documented” successes come from. What documents? What kind of success? Success navigating to the bathroom, success in eating everything on their plate, success in leaving alive?

“We successfully never hear from 76% of our clients again after they leave here
(We’re not sure how many leave in a hearse but hey. People die. They pulled it in.)”

Snippy_X

There are NO valid studies that support this number. None. When their fake statistics are analyzed correctly, they show quitting cold turkey has a higher success rate than Narconon.

chukicita

Absolutely. The ad is a good illustration of the ‘acceptable truth’ school of marketing. Only in this case, it can lead to death.

SopranoAscends

Holy smoke! I have Adblock, etc. When I opened the Bunker door this morning, I got a drop down. Does this look familiar?

OTVIIIisGrrr8!

Scientology Haters focus on the Church’s one or two problems when the fact is these problems were acts of sabotage orchestrated by the agents of SMERSH who continually we in the Church of Scientology.

to let them know what you think tax money to promote and pretend to “research” Scientology “Purification Rundown” / NarCONon fraud.

If you would, point David and the grant people to http://www.cosvm.com/ which shows what Scientology did to disrupt relief efforts in the aftermath of the Saudi attacks of September 11th, and to http://www.crackpots.us/ to show what Scientology’s NarCONon frauds actually mean out in the real world.

I bet $1 that David Carpenter is already aware that Scientology’s “Purification Rundown” is a quack medical fraud but is going ahead with playing pretend anyway for reasons only he can explain.

And I don’t rent cars!

Sorry wanted to post this to you the other day but simply couldn’t.

I noticed you put up your volunteer minister website up last week and wanted to let you know that the crime syndicate has been using the PRWeb site to promote them almost daily for the past year. Last week I checked the site for any press releases put out by the Co$ and, lo and behold, they have over 800 of them and in the past year, IIRC, they are almost exclusively about the vulture ministers. They used this PR service a few times a year before but starting in Dec 2012 they starting doing almost daily dumps. See search results – http://www.prweb.com/Search.aspx?Search-releases=scientology

I wonder if it had anything to do with Florida finally having a few pieces of legislation up for vote that they’ve fine tuned lately re: new charities regulations. Sorry I can’t provide that link at this time but I read about it in the Tampa Bay Times last week, IIRC. (I probably got the link from the Bunker comments around the time you announced that you were putting up your site again. I think your post is what made me search PR Web.)

Arrgh…. wish I could be more helpful! Still stuck in my vortex of miseries and can’t come out the Bunker’s Lurkers Closet – yet. Good luck. And thank you for resurrecting the site. It has REALLY good stuff!

Catton, who was president of Narconon’s flagship operation in Oklahoma, operated numerous referral websites, and received a 10 percent commission for each person convinced to sign up for Narconon

Sweet deal! The fucking Scientology criminal could have nabbed $3,600 for himself just by swindling the plaintiffs just by having a web site that funnels people who don’t do actual research in to Scientology’s quack medical frauds. Damn! Do that once a week and you’re talking serious money, all for just having a fraudulent web site up.

Lets get some truth comments up here.In case anybody gets up from their beer and tries to make sense of this bullshit!
Warning:skip watching vid could lead to insipid stupidity.

media_lush

After reading this you can’t imagine the Bronco’s NOT winning….. but I say “always go with the monkey!!”…. there’s an Orang Utan out there who’s guessed the winner 6 years in a row and has chosen the Seahawks for today…..

Does anyone know why the Nevada bill did not pass? Any politicians receive any “donations” from a certain “church” or any of it members?

Jgg2012

The Welch complaint reminds me of the FTC’s successful suit against Equinox, an MLM that was very big in the 1990s. There, the Complaint mentioned its use of fake names (“Las Vegas marketing group”); its fake science and bogus medical claims; bogus success rates (Equinox claimed its reps made $30,000/yr. on avg.; it was more like $800/yr.); the fact that commissions were paid to those making the claims. In that case, the judge noted that refunds were not routinely given as had been promised. Oh, that was also filed in the District of Nevada.

Fremdscham

You post is timely for me. I have a relative who is constantly posting on FB about trips he’s taking related to the MLM he’s involved with. I was horrified by the constant mixing of nutrional product and philosophy and wondering how he finds this a sensible approach to life. I just finished some minor research on the company and found it’s all based on questionable testimonials, the placebo effect, and bad science. I can’t imagine he’s making that much money considering he’s taken at least three plane trips this January for distributor seminars or some such. Thing is, he’s got enough cash from a cushy job at a family business he’ll never feel enough financial pinch to wake up. Corporate MLM cults absolutely mystify me. I find the idea of being in sales stomach churningly distasteful so I probably don’t have the type of personality to understand the appeal.

Jgg2012

Yes, there are 1000s of nutrition-MLMs, they are basically placebos, and the real money is on the training. If you fail, go get some training, and then more training, etc. and some people spend $100,000 on training (which is really just hype about how great the company is). Often, the owner has a cult following and the distributors believe everything he says and do everything he says. Sound familiar?

DamOTclese2

Twitter heating up. (Image)

aquaclara

Wow.

Douglas D. Douglas

Speechless.

DeElizabethan

“This lawsuit’s complaint is one of the best written and most thorough that we’ve ever read.” Thank you Tony.
This sounds EXCELLENT! I do hope they fight it and it goes to trial where a jury will add punishment to the case.

TheHoleDoesNotExist

last sci ad at 5:58 est, tampa bay in tampa bay region…about two ads per hour during pregame. I only started watching at 3 pm.

Sibs

I had a fainting spell during the pre-game, and I’m recovering as I watch. Haven’t seen any Scientology ads so far in LA.

Super Bowl: I want to watch the adverts. I want to watch game. The only “rest stop” opportunities will be during the Co$ commercials.

Douglas D. Douglas

So far, in the LA region we have seen only one CoS ad during the pre-game show.

Halftime is here…

Sibs

Totally missed it.

At this point, the ad is going to be after everyone has stopped watching because the Seahawks are totally dominating the game.

Douglas D. Douglas

There’s another team playing…?

Sibs

OH GOD THERE IT IS.

Sibs

IT’S LIKE… THEY’RE TRYING TO FILL THAT “HALFTIME IN AMERICA” SPOT. AND FAILING.

Douglas D. Douglas

We have SCIENTOLOGY in the house.

The ad ran right after the Jeep Half-time Report on Fox.

Douglas D. Douglas

And the Twitterverse is raving:

Ruby

Thank God I missed it!

Douglas D. Douglas

Moar on Twitter!

Sibs

Immediate reaction on my Facebook after the spot.

Douglas D. Douglas

Paging Missionary Kid!

“Scientology: Where science fiction novels and impressionable rich people meet.”

Douglas D. Douglas

And yet moar on the Twitterverse…

Douglas D. Douglas

A lot of Tweets now coming in by people saying they must have missed it. It is NOT a national spot, that’s for sure and certain…

Observer

Nope, we haven’t seen any.

Douglas D. Douglas

Lucky you…!

Robert Eckert

I’m in Detroit: they’d never bother advertising here.

richelieu jr

Are you kidding? Go where there’s no hope– Although there’s also not much cash, so…

Don’t take this wrong, @roberteckert:disqus , but I find you smart, informed, erudite and funny…
WTF are you doing in Detroit? (and I say that as an Iggy and MC5 fan who dreamt of American cars his entire childhood…)

Robert Eckert

I escaped Detroit in 2009 and swore I would never be back, but my dad is in serious decline and my mom needs me here.

richelieu jr

Very sorry to hear about your family, Robert.

What do you do, work wise (was partly my question)?

Robert Eckert

I was a math teacher. I tutor a couple people but have been basically unemployed for a year.

richelieu jr

Wel, Detroit’s a good place to do it, I suppose…

A math teacher. I knew you were smart….

Douglas D. Douglas

Moar…

Sibs

I think everyone is on the other article talking about it.

TXCowgirl

…

Missionary Kid

Just because you can append an “-ology to a word, as in Scientology & Astrology, it does not make it based on objective reality.
I’m putting that on the list of things said about $cientology. I’ll post it later.

richelieu jr

I’d like to see an AP-ology from them in the near future…

Missionary Kid

Snickersnort. Fat chance.

Douglas D. Douglas

I cannot bring myself to post these over in the thread about PSH…

(refresh for more Tweets)

aquaclara

TripleD, these are a great accompaniment to ribs, chips, and buff chick dip. Thanks for finding and posting!

Douglas D. Douglas

The overwhelming response has been neg-a-tive. So that’s a good thing.

This is long, sorry. I just posted this complaint about the DOD Narconon study at the U of Albany Institutional Review Board complaint site, http://www.albany.edu/orrc/report-concern.php. We should file complaints so they will look into this…

The study is being performed on Gulf War vets, exposing them to the Scientology/Narconon “purification rundown” which includes high doses of niacin and long stints in the sauna. This can be dangerous and have long-term medical consequences, and there is no scientific evidence that it will work. Our vets do not deserve to be guinea pigs for this dangerous experiment.

I suspect that there may have been falsehoods presented in the description to IRB, since that is how Narconon operates.

Co-investigator with Dr. David Carpenter is Kathleen Kerr, who is/was Narconon Director in Canada.

Narconon is a dangerous front group for Scientology and well known for its fraudulent methods.
This study being run by Narconon staff at a Narconon facility puts the participants at serious risk. They generally don’t even have medical staff on site during their purification rundown. This study may be different, but it seems like a Narconon project so I don’t see why they would have a doctor onsite to monitor, since they never have in the past.

1. Just today, on investigative reporter Tony Ortega’s blog at http://tonyortega.org/2014/02/02/scientologys-drug-rehab-facility-in-nevada-sued-over-the-usual-litany-of-deceptions/, there is a report of a lawsuit filed against Narconon in Nevada by the family of 19-year-old Jack Ryan, a Narconon client. The family states that Jack was “expected to sit in a sauna for several hours a day as part of Scientology’s “Purification Rundown,” which includes doses of Niacin up to 5,000 mg a day. Jack spent 24 to 26 days in the sauna. “Jack experienced severe dehydration, headaches, and persistent diarrhea during the sauna program. The Niacin made his skin feel as if he had a bad, lasting sunburn. He observed many of his fellow students likewise becoming ill during the sauna program. Each time Jack complained to the staff supervisor on duty about his severe headaches and feeling ill, he was told to get back in the ‘Box’ and, ‘What turns it on, turns it off’. The complaint alleges that Jack continues to have health problems related to his time in the Purification Rundown.”

2. Narconon has been shut down in Quebec (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/scientologist-run-rehab-centre-ordered-closed-in-quebec-1.1226881). “The head of a regional health agency in Quebec said he had no choice but to shut down a Scientology-based rehab centre in Trois-Rivières. In recent months, he said at least four clients were taken to hospital because of methods used at the centre. The Narconon Trois-Rivières is one of dozens of similar centres in the U.S. and around the world where the detox treatment is inspired by the teachings of Scientology. Mauricie regional health agency director Marc Latour said Narconon Trois-Rivières advertised an 80 per cent success rate and charged $25,000 for its program. Latour said the centre was dangerous for patients and violated many of the criteria regulating Quebec’s rehab centres. He said there was no medical supervision and no scientific basis to the treatment. Latour said patients went cold turkey, then underwent lengthy sauna detox sessions designed to sweat out drugs and took an unhealthy amount of vitamins.

4. Narconon is under several lawsuits in the U.S. for patient deaths and insurance fraud. Besides the Nevada lawsuit I mentioned above, there are several others. This may not be directly related to the purification rundown (it seems that staff take drugs and provide them to the clients) but it is a signal that it is a dangerous
group.

— On January 15, 2011, while being held in the “withdrawal unit” of Narconon Freedom Center in Albion, Michigan, Richard Teague, while exhibiting symptoms of severe benzodiazepine withdrawal, set himself on fire with the use of a cigarette lighter and a spray cologne bottle. With flames engulfing him, he ran outside and extinguished the fire by plunging into the snow. His attorney stated that [Teague] received serious, permanent and grievous injuries as a result of burns suffered while in the care of Narconon Freedom Center…[he] was in a delusional, paranoid state when he was severely and permanently burned on January 15, 2011…Narconon Freedom Center and A Forever Recovery rely exclusively on the written “technology” (writings) of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, to address the drug and alcohol rehabilitation needs of students enrolled in Narconon programs, even though Hubbard had no training or education in drug and alcohol rehabilitation.” http://tonyortega.org/2013/10/18/scientology-drug-rehab-troubling-new-evidence-in-the disturbing-case-of-richard-teague/

This is excellent. Really. I will send something, too, to help. They should have a board of Governors that should see this, too. Will check later. Thanks.

Ardent

Thanks for the fresh Narconon story. I hope this case will finally slap the bastards down. January was pretty good – February seems to be off to a good start.

Mary_McConnell

Excellent news! Much respect and love for Ryan Hamilton, Esq, aka HamLaw! Kudos to the members of Reaching For The Tipping Point for assisting the Welsh family. We wish them much success in getting justice for their son. http://reaching4.info

Mary_McConnell

PS: Loving the links at the end of the article, Tony. Wonderful way to share these series in an easy manner Much appreciated

I was there with Jack during his program he wasalways very happy and never complainedhe just started complaining when he wanted to go home Jack also got caught having sex with a girl during his programI went through that program it was an intern when Jack didn’t feel good I went to the hospital with himwhen we got to the hospital he was suddenly okay but the center wanted to make sure you was okay so they made a follow up appointment and drove an hour and a half to a hospital where they told him nothing was wrongthis is mostly lies and exaggerations and very one sided bad reporting